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Don't drive Northland out of business
Weekend Yellowknifer - Friday, June 17, 2016

The territorial government has not explicitly said it intends to push Northland Utilities out of Yellowknife and the territory but the writing is clearly on the wall as the GNWT pushes to turn the NWT Power Corporation into a government department.

This was evident in the dismissal of the entire power corp. board and replacing it with departmental deputy ministers last month. When asked what the GNWT's intentions are concerning the future of power corp., Louis Sebert, minister responsible for the territory's main power generator, said the new board has yet to hold a meeting.

It's a somewhat cagey response considering the power play at work - no pun intended - as power corp. attempts to take over power distribution in Hay River. It would not be unreasonable to assume the same will follow in Yellowknife when Northland's contract with the city expires in 2020.

Sebert was quick to say the government has no intention of dissolving the arm's length Public Utilities Board, the regulatory body responsible for ensuring power rates to consumers are applied fairly.

The government is correct to recognize the necessity of this watchdog but the utilities board won't matter a whit if power supply and distribution in the territory falls entirely under the auspices of a government monolith.

This is why it is important to recognize the necessity for ensuring a privately-owned power distributor in Yellowknife remains.

In fact, power corp. itself should be completely privatized. It, along with Northland, could then compete evenly and fairly for contracts in the communities and in Yellowknife under the eye of the Public Utilities Board.

Government bureaucracy is not what the territory needs when it comes to running our public utilities. Consumers need power delivered in the most cost-effective and reliable way. Reliable and cost-effective are not words often used in the context of government operation.

The territory needs power delivered and managed by a company with a broader horizon than ensuring voters are placated ahead of the next election, as was the case last year and the year before that when the GNWT forked over $50 million to subsidize diesel power generation to make up for decreased hydro production on the Snare River due to low water levels.

It is true that maximum profit is not the best governing principle when it comes to a public utility but that's why there is a Public Utilities Board to vet proposed rate hikes. At the same time, the element of competition between Northland and a privatized NTPC would act as a buffer against exorbitant power rates.

It is troubling that the government-owned power corp. was able to promise steeply discounted power rates in Hay River after the municipality opened its power contract to a competitive bidding process.

Doug Tenney, ATCO Electric's (Northland's parent company) vice-president of northern development, said this discount amounted to nothing more than the 30 per cent power corp. had been overcharging Northland for its Hay River consumers in the first place.

Tenney said he fears the GNWT may be muscling into formerly private markets with the intention of pushing Northland out of the North altogether.

This is a legitimate fear.

Power corp. could do the same thing in Yellowknife, especially if it fit in with a long-term, if yet undisclosed, plan to make power generation and supply in the North an entirely governmental undertaking.

Doing so would only ensure a power generation and distribution system that offers quick-fix subsidies while not actually reducing the cost of power and stifling innovation under a mountain of bureaucratic complacency.


Fairness in services
Deh Cho Drum - Thursday, June 23, 2016

Nobody likes paying taxes - whether that's to the municipal, territorial or federal governments.

Property taxes in particular can be a sore spot for some people, especially when mill rates increase.

Recently, Fort Simpson's village council approved a tax increase which will raise the mill rate - which is payable for each $1,000 of assessed property value - on residential developed lands and residential mobile by 0.1. Residential vacant lands will increase by 0.4.

The increase passed its third reading almost unanimously, with only one councillor voting against it.

Now, taxes are a fact of life. Many of the amenities homeowners have access to could not be enjoyed without some way of paying for them. Taxes go in part to cover the cost of village services, and in part to give the village a few extra dollars with which to better the community.

During initial discussion of the tax increase, Coun. Mike Rowe reminded the rest of council that villagers will want to see improvements to the community in order to merit the increase.

He said the act of raising taxes is, in effect, a "promise" between the village and its residents, that residents should see such improvements made as a result.

While Rowe is right on the mark, the village also needs to take into account the fact certain subdivisions - which still pay the same taxes as everyone else in the village proper - lack certain services.

As Rowe pointed out at the June 20 council meeting, the subdivision of Wildrose Acres - while housing plenty of people - does not even have sidewalks.

Aside from that, residents in Wildrose Acres have to subscribe to bulk water delivery instead of simply turning on a tap.

To top that off, only the island is provided with municipal hydrant water-supply. That means all other developed areas - particularly, but not limited to, Wildrose Acres and Nogha Heights - do not have a supply of water dedicated to fire suppression.

Considering what fire risk those subdivisions pose, it is unfortunate more resources are not devoted to them.

Rowe suggested in council chambers - thanks to a community member bringing forward the issue - that an option for the village would be to impose a different, assumedly lesser, mill rate on any tax-based place out of town which does not have access to the usual village amenities.

While that solution is a reasonable one, a better solution would be to focus on these areas, particularly subdivisions where many people live, as targets for improvements over the coming years.

Doing so would not only justify the mill rate currently being imposed on these properties, but could also address some of the safety concerns of these areas.


Many choices in council election
Inuvik Drum - Thursday, June 23, 2016

There is no shortage of choices in an election next week for president and vice-president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council.

Only one incumbent -- James Wilson -- is running for re-election as president. He is being challenged by Jozef Carnogursky and Bobbie Jo Greenland-Morgan.

With no incumbent for the position of vice-president, the race is wide open and no fewer than four candidates stepped forward -- William Koe, Wilbert Firth, Jordan Peterson, and Bridget Larocque.

Typically, there aren't this many candidates for only two positions.

It bodes well for the Gwich'in Tribal Council that so many members are ready to step up to the plate, not to mention people who represent such a wide range of perspectives. With women running for both seats, as well as a younger-than-usual candidate in Jordan Peterson, this election promises to be an interesting one.

Meanwhile, the Gwich'in Tribal Council itself is revolutionizing its own voting system. It has introduced online voting for members living both in Gwich'in communities as well as further afield in a bid to not only make it easier for people to cast their ballots and encourage them to do so, but also to simplify the counting process at the other end.

It's too early to tell yet if this initiative will work, but we are very hopeful and impressed by the move in any case. The one consistent complaint from people, no matter where they live, is that they feel cut off from their leaders.

Newspapers try to help in this regard, by holding leaders accountable and to ask the questions average citizens don't have the access or time to do.

Inuvik is a bit different from other places in that respect, since people typically have greater access to their elected officials than larger centres, but the complaint remains the same. This -- and every other election -- is a chance to bridge that gap.

This week and last, candidates answered our questions for readers. They were also set to answer questions from the public in an all-candidates forum June 22 which, in the interest of full disclosure, I hosted.

We hope that people have made use of these opportunities to get to know their candidates' platforms and views and that they will go on to ask their own questions before casting a ballot.

More than anything, we hope that doing so will open the lines of communication that will allow the electorate to hold their leaders accountable throughout the term, not just during an election.


Orlando shows us where we are
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, June 22, 2016

It's easy to get complacent.

It's easy to think the concept of homophobia has become an archaic concept, an embarrassing idea only worth looking back on in the context of how far we've come.

The world was jolted awake on June 12, an otherwise quiet Sunday morning, learning the night before, a man had walked into a gay nightclub in Orlando Fla., killing 49 people and injuring 53 more.

Later that day, 4,487 km northwest of Orlando, a group of Yellowknifers met up at Javaroma to show solidarity with these victims. NWT Pride spokesperson Garett Cochrane called the tragedy a "blatant wake-up call" that there is still hate out there.

Indeed it is. Now that this shooting has awoken the public, it is also a good time to reflect on the events that have helped shape Yellowknife into the accepting community it is today.

Back in 1969, a man working in Pine Point was convicted of homosexuality, prompting then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to finally decriminalize it. Thirty-two years later, in 2002, then-premier Stephen Kakfwi stood up for the rights of homosexuals in the NWT.

He argued for amending Adoption and Family Law Act to allow homosexual couples to adopt.

Then-North Slave MLA Leon Lafferty made a preposterous argument against the amendment, reasoning that gay men die earlier than straight men and thus will leave orphans.

Arguing for the amendment, Kakfwi talked about his experiences as an aboriginal, arguing "there must be a future that strives to eliminate discrimination in whatever way it manifests itself."

Allowing homosexual adoption was a big step forward for Yellowknife and the NWT but this advancement didn't stop a former city councillor from requesting a heterosexual pride day to counteract the first gay pride day in 2005. Former councillor Alan Woytuik said at the time that "recognizing contributions of heterosexuals is just as legitimate as recognizing the contributions of gay and lesbian communities."

Woytuik missed the point that for the LGBTQ community achieving equality alone was a struggle and the special recognition was a celebration of that.

Now that NWT Pride is turning four-years old this summer, Yellowknifers have an opportunity to look back on the history of LGBTQ advances and celebrate how far society has come.

But stopping there and giving ourselves a pat on the back also misses the point.

Yellowknifers must now look further down the road and assess what still needs to be done - and help the LGBTQ community achieve it.


People will work around parking quandary
Yellowknifer - Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Summer, construction season, patio season and boating season are all back and ready to brew a perfect storm in Old Town.

With the prospect of beer drinkers competing with boaters for limited parking space looming, city council announced a plan earlier this year to introduce angled parking to replace the loss of a stretch of road currently used by boaters.

Coun. Niels Konge is not wrong when he warns the parking issue is going to get bad in Old Town. But as it stands right now, there doesn't seem to be a clear-cut solution to provide enough parking for all of the cars and boats that will be vying for space.

Rather than debating the issue to death, council might be wiser to let residents figure it out for themselves. Some will walk, others will ride their bikes and others will just find parking elsewhere and walk a few blocks. Boaters will also have to walk a bit further to find parking. The overflow lot between School Draw and Franklin will open up with the end of construction.

It's not going to be the most convenient situation, but since there isn't enough room to install a jumbo parking lot that will accommodate everybody who wants to park in Old Town, and surely few of those who live down there would like to see one anyway, people are going to have to adapt. And they will.


Suffocated by power
Editorial Comment by Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News - Wednesday, June 22, 2016
It can be argued non-party politics is good in theory, but, unfortunately, its practical application depends on human nature and that's where, theoretically speaking, the wheels fall off with a thud.

My problem with non-party politics has always been that it puts too much power in the hands of whomever sits at the top.

Looking at those who have occupied the premier's throne during Nunavut's brief history, one can see how power has the ability to ignite the aggressive fever or debilitating paranoia of a dictator.

Neither is conducive to a productive environment.

The illusion of wielding unlimited political power effectively is responsible for the sorry state our government still finds itself in, not, as some southern pundits suggest, a shallow talent pool.

Every person who sits on the territorial throne seems to reach the point of so little confidence in their subordinates, they need to micromanage every department within our political structure.

And, once they realize that approach is, in reality, mission impossible, the paranoia begins to wreak havoc on their delicate psyche.

That prompts the attempt to use the age-old method of fear to try and control what is said by whom.

As we see yet the latest cabinet shuffle take place, and new duties are thrust upon different ministerial faces -- if you keep track of them as they go by -- and another high-ranking official resigns in disgust, it is clear toxicity continues to reign supreme within our government.

It came as no surprise to hear former languages commissioner Sandra Inutiq say the government's lack of openness and responsiveness drove her to resign.

That is merely the signal from the throne that it lost faith in her ability to do the job.

Inutiq's description of a government that works on fear, ego and control has been whispered by many throughout the years.

She just had the courage to say it a little louder than many who went before her.

Sadly, however, her description of second guessing herself and the decisions she made are classic symptoms of those who work in a toxic environment with little, if any, support for their efforts.

What we continue to witness from our government is a far cry from the ideals envisioned by such people as Tagak Curley, John Amagoalik, Jack Anawak and Jose Kusugak, among others.

I would beg to differ with Inutiq's assertion that the ghost of colonialism haunts the Government of Nunavut.

It is an enemy of the people that pre-dates even the ravages of colonialism.

It is power, and, left unchecked, it changes the hearts and minds of many.

Rather than lead Nunavummiut into the dawn of a new era, our government is holding back progress under a stifling umbrella of fear and power mongering.

This antiquated approach to governance spoiled some of the best among our leadership core to the point where they simply quit when they didn't get their own way, while up-and-comers such as Inutiq are suffocated under a blanket of distrust.

Surely Nunavummiut deserve better!


Senator wasn't appointed for his Catholicism
Northwest Territories/News North - Monday, June 20, 2016

A large majority of Canadians support physician-assisted death.

Some of the many polls on the issue state that as few as 15 percent of people oppose doctor assisted death. But that minority can be very vocal.

The individuals and groups against euthanasia include many politicians in Canada's Parliament, both elected in the House of Commons and appointed in the Senate.

It is no longer a question of whether physician-assisted death is simply good or bad. The matter has been ruled on by the Supreme Court of Canada. Long story short, it gave Parliament direction to establish a law on this matter. And on Friday, June 17, the senate voted to accept the proposed legislation, ending the political deadlock between the lower and upper houses of Parliament

Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy has said the GNWT has implemented temporary guidelines as it continues to draft its own law.

"Medical assistance in dying is a deeply personal subject for many people," Abernethy said in the legislative assembly.

"I want to reassure our residents that the interim guidelines do not compel health-care providers to provide, or assist in the provision of, medical assistance in dying."

Abernethy said the GNWT rules were based around what was in the Liberal law as it went before Senate, including its definition of a "terminal" illness.

As readers of News/North would have learned in the June 13 edition, NWT Senator Nick Sibbeston said he planned to vote against the legislation.

"My view is that I'm not in favour of assisted death at all as a Catholic person ... I'm going to express my views, so I will express that," said Sibbeston, the territory's only representative in the upper chamber.

He said his position is based on his faith and the tradition of the Dene people to survive.

"That's the background I come from, so I'm against any medically-assisted cessation of life," Sibbeston said.

Is the senator interpreting the Dene people's historic struggle to survive against disease and the elements as meaning they are, as a group, opposed to euthanasia? We would need to see some proof about that as we can't find any studies on the matter.

The senator admits he's heard little feedback from NWT residents regarding the law. Those he has heard from tend to be against it, he claims.

Could the feedback the senator claims to have received be from his church and from his close circle of like-minded friends?

We remind the senator that he represents the whole of the NWT, a territory whose inhabitants are certainly not all Dene.

While we respect Sibbeston's personal beliefs, we also expect the un-elected, Liberal-appointed senator - who's in his early 70s -- to reflect the changing times.

We hope he would seek feedback from those outside of his own cultural community before taking a stand on major issues such as doctor-assisted dying.

In a 2014 speech in the Senate on role of independent senators, Sibbeston said, "I look forward to continuing to deal with issues on merit and on a common-sense basis, with the main consideration being what is right and good for the North."

In the future, we hope Sibbeston heeds his own words. On issues such as doctor-assisted dying, for example, we wish Sen. Sibbeston would have taken into consideration the pain and suffering of people who have no life like that of a well-heeled senator - people of all cultures who want to die with dignity.


Mental health help must focus on trust
Nunavut/News North - Monday, June 20, 2016

Finally, after much agonizing talk about suicide in the territory, funding has been allocated toward the expansion of mental health services.

This will help implement a comprehensive strategy to prevent suicide following a coroner's inquest into the high rate of suicide in the territory and the creation of a Quality of Life department within the Government of Nunavut.

Health Minister Monica Ell-Kanayuk told the legislative assembly earlier this month that 22 more positions have been added to provide mental health services and that the budget has been set at $24 million.

There are now two mental health facilities with residential treatment, out-patient programming, and drop-in support for mental health clients. The Government of Nunavut has increased its intervention and mental health capacity, with child, outreach, mental health and psychiatric nurses in many of the communities, Ell-Kanayuk said.

It is also encouraging that the federal government has also designated new funding for mental wellness support in Nunavut.

Ottawa recognized that indigenous communities - particularly those located in rural, remote and isolated areas - are facing distressing mental health and suicide crises. These communities too often lack proper access to vital services and support, and the service offerings that do exist are not always culturally-appropriate or properly aligned with community needs. With that recognition comes $69 million over three years in new funding for crises response teams to serve communities in Nunavut, Ontario and Manitoba identified as having the greatest need. While the new measures will involve working in close collaboration with Inuit partners to develop a community-led suicide prevention approach, the specific amount of assistance for Nunavut is not known.

The new funding on both fronts is a vital ingredient to the expansion of mental health services. That said, we have seen government waste in the past, where allocated money gets swallowed by the bureaucracy and not enough trickles down to the front lines.

Nunavut communities need resources that will help people suffering from addictions, hopelessness and the perception that they are being shunned by their own communities. Mental health workers and nurses in community health centres must recognize they have to be accepted by residents in order to be effective in treating the psychological ailments that afflict patients.

Most of all, they must be approachable, they must work to gain the trust of the people in the communities they serve. They must understand the issues Nunavummiut face in their daily lives which impact their mental health. They must have empathy, patience and compassion.

No amount of funding will help unless it delivers results at the grassroots level, in each of the 25 communities of Nunavut.

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